Our changing tastes mean the traditional family car is often likely these days to be an SUV. But those same seismic shifts in taste and purpose have also resulted in a hybrid car taking home one of Drive's prestigious Car of the Year gongs for the first time in the award's seven-year history.

2012 Best Family Car of the Year

2012 Best Family Car of the Year is the Toyota Camry Hybrid H.

It would have been unthinkable just 10 years ago, when sizeable offerings from Holden and Ford ruled the roads and a tiny Toyota with a petrol-electric heart, the Prius, was little more than an odd-looking sideshow.

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Perseverance paid off for Toyota when it shifted its hybrid technology into the strong-selling Camry sedan, a mid-sizer that always felt bigger on the inside. The first generation of that car collected Drive's coveted Green Innovation Award in 2010, but it was the second generation that really gelled with Drive's judges this year against a pair of capable Fords.

"The Camry gets maximum points for its drivetrain," one judge decided, referring to a system that combines a 2.5-litre petrol-powered engine with an electric motor that can power the car at slower speeds for short distances and which can contribute power at cruising speeds to cut fuel use. A continuously variable transmission (CVT) ties it all together and ensures smooth power delivery in most situations.

The result is a handy 151kW of power and up to 270Nm of torque. The 1610kg car managed 100km/h in an impressive 8.2 seconds during testing. Even more impressive, however, is the official combined fuel use of 5.2 litres per 100km, a figure one judge described as "seriously impressive".

The hybrid drivetrain proved a double-edged sword, however, with a battery pack behind the rear seats that eats into boot space and means the rear seats cannot be folded so larger items can be loaded through the cabin. Passenger space is otherwise excellent, with one of the largest rear seats in the class.

Drive judges would have liked reversing sensors on the Camry; the standard reversing camera is only useful as long as the driver is looking at it and not into the mirrors.

A foot-operated parking brake, doughy steering and wooden brakes also came in for criticism, but even they could not shift the feeling that Toyota has achieved something special with the Camry Hybrid. "It does the job, it fits a lot of people," was the verdict.

The Camry Hybrid H was also the cheapest car at $34,990 and saw off some stiff competition from the Ford Mondeo ($37,740) – former category champion – and another car with a breakthrough drivetrain, the Ford Falcon EcoBoost XT ($37,235).

The Mondeo, a four-time winner of the family and/or medium-car category, is a perennial Drive favourite and the Zetec hatch presented for testing fitted with a 2.0-litre turbocharged EcoBoost engine was a strong contender.

The judges liked its "smooth and quiet" power delivery and "impressive flexibility", noting however that it was both slower (0-100km/h in 8.9 sec) and thirstier (8.0L/100km) than the Camry Hybrid.

There was also praise for accurate steering and a cosseting suspension, although one judge noted it was not as good at shielding occupants from big bumps.

A cavernous boot complete with hatchback flexibility and fold-flat rear seats drew praise. But the interior design was "dated and bland". Judges were disappointed by a lack of interior storage, especially for the big adult-sized back seats.

A second Ford, featuring a more powerful version of the same four-cylinder, 2.0-litre turbocharged EcoBoost engine, also posed plenty of questions for Drive's judges.

It sounds like a mismatch, but the compact engine does a surprisingly competent job of motivating the 1648kg Falcon, generating 179kW and 353Nm to produce acceptable acceleration (9.0 sec to 100km/h) and decent economy (8.1L/100km).

"Who needs the six?" asked one judge, noting however that the small engine also generates some turbo lag.

The Falcon was an impressive highway cruiser with a "great ride" on 16-inch wheels and compliant tyres, and handled better than its six-cylinder siblings with less weight on its front wheels. A previous question mark over the Falcon's safety has been addressed with the addition of standard curtain airbags across the range.

As with its rivals, the Falcon gets a family sized boot and adult-friendly rear-seat accommodation, but counting against it is the lack of folding rear seats and a driver's seat that was positioned too high for most of the judging panel even at its lowest setting.

One of the biggest hurdles of Falcon EcoBoost may face might be resale value, with estimates suggesting it might fetch just 34 per cent of its sticker price in three years. This figure doesn't take into account the systemic discounting of large cars in Australia, which might boost resale value closer to 50 per cent. "This could be the world's best second-hand car," was the quip.

But in the end it was the Toyota that triumphed over the Fords, with seven of nine votes.

Comment

The installation of a first-ever Drive Car of the Year category for an electric motor is sure to stir up some debate about the merits of a hybrid-powered family car, but what is not up for debate is the Camry Hybrid's impressive fuel use. An official figure of 5.2L/100km – something our testing has shown is achievable in the real world – delivers tangible hip pocket savings of almost 3.0 litres every 100km in an era when many cars are distinguished from one another by just a tenth or two per litre.

The Camry Hybrid H may not measure up to the Fords in terms of driving enjoyment, but it's closer than ever to being a driver's car.

On balance, we believe it is the best family car on the market right now. What do you think?

13 comments so far

How did they only manage 9 sec 0-100 in the falcon ??? Im shure I have seen it do around 7.5 and even faster.

Commenter

Yoda

Location

Hoth

Date and time

November 28, 2012, 5:15PM

They probably fed it 91 octane petrol and tested it on a hot and humid day.

Commenter

Fred

Location

Date and time

November 28, 2012, 7:02PM

Pretty useless. Basically no familys are going to purchase your "best" family car or even your finalists.

Why on earth would a four door sedan be considered the perfect family car? To start with, larger families will simply not fit as it only has five seats - and no one, not even kids will want to sit in that centre seat on a regular basis, so really its only a 4 seater which instantly rules it out for any family with more than 2 kids.Then there is the bootspace. How does the weekend family outing cope with eskys, prams, kids bikes, sporting gear? You will not fit those all of those things into the boot of any sedan. Of course, some might think they'll shove the extra gear into a trailer for the family camping trip....well the Camry Hybrid has a maximum towing capacity of 300KGs - which is barely more than a EMPTY trailer. So that idea is out the window too. Obviously you can forget about towing a boat or Caravan for any family outing too.

The ideal family car should be a WAGON - perhaps traditional station wagon, 4WD or People mover/Van. This is what people are actually buying for a family car. (apart from those families who get a sedan as a company car or pick one up as a bargain from exfleet auctions).No one will buy any of these "best" family cars as a new family car.

Commenter

Phil

Location

Sydney

Date and time

November 28, 2012, 6:30PM

Yeah why would anyone consider a sedan? Let's see, the Falcon is a sedan the Camry is a sedan, hang on, hold the phone the Mondeo is a hatch and it's luggage area monsters the falcon let alone the Camry. Then again the interior room is almost as large as the Falcons. Oh and for the record my two kids and often one of their friends are quite happy in the back seat and my daughter is 5'10. You are right about the towing ability of the Camry though. You may as well use a Honda Gullwing or a Fatboy for towing duties...

Commenter

RS3200

Location

Newcastle

Date and time

November 29, 2012, 6:23AM

Always believed this Camry Hybrid will do very well and this is just further evidence. This car has won many praises and awards in the States so no surprise here. Glad to see some judges not succumbing to the hybrid-skeptics here in this country, and it's about time we have a hybrid winner!

Not sure why people complained about the bootsize of this car... it is perfectly fine for a family of 4. We all don't need to carry our house with us in a family trip, so enjoy this fantastic piece of Aussie built car, much better than the bogan on wheels things (yes you, falcodore!) and driven by wannabe boy-racers.

Commenter

James

Location

Date and time

November 28, 2012, 7:23PM

The European FWD Mondeo EcoBoost is a perennial Drive favourite with its "smooth and quiet" power delivery and "impressive flexibility" but the lighter and more powerful Australian RWD Falcon EcoBoost is "...a mismatch.....but surprisingly competent". I quote Ford's own spec sheet:Mondeo EcoBoost: 1682kg, 149KW, 300Nm; l/100km 8.0/11.0/6.3.Falcon EcoBoost: 1648kg, 179KW, 353Nm; l/100km 8.1/11.8/6.0.When Drive tested the two Fords they could not have been trying too hard especially with the Falcon which came up slower than the Mondeo with 9.0vs8.9 in the 0-100 sprint or about 2 seconds slower than when the EcoBoost version was first tested. Something is quite odd here.

Commenter

Yasi

Location

Cairns

Date and time

November 29, 2012, 1:12AM

Toyota Camry Hybrid................what a political wank!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Commenter

Ironbark

Location

Sydney

Date and time

November 29, 2012, 7:40AM

Great, but to be a "real"family car a Wagon is what is needed, many are waiting....

Commenter

Laurence

Location

Perth

Date and time

November 29, 2012, 8:35AM

so the best family car has doughy steering and wooden brakes not the kind of thing that instills confidence in a car ment for the family. Really were the judges on crack how you say that a car is"coser than ever to being a driver's car."After saying the steering doughy and the brakes are wooden.

Commenter

george

Location

Date and time

November 29, 2012, 1:29PM

3 great cars... splitting hairs really and truthfully. My 2 cents: the Falcon gets my vote as the car I would buy, taking into account the price reduction one can get due to the systemic discounting. The Camry loses practicality - can't tow basically and no split fold. As for the Mondeo, I'm still wary of the ownership costs on European cars. Unless they present some amazing advantage I'm not interested, and the Mondeo doesn't in this company.

I would hardly make the assertion that these three are not family cars. It seems we have all forgotten our childhoods and what our parents made do with. Families are only getting smaller so I would suggest the naysayers are being unrealistic about what they expect to fit in a car or need to learn how to pack a boot. Buy or hire a box trailer for trips away - problem solved - and for the rest of the year you won't be curbing the alloys on your CX9 trying to fit in to a parking spot at the supermarket.